Bill Gates Keynote Live Blog: Live @ CES 2008

Oct 1, 2009

LAS VEGAS -- The 2008 Consumer Electronics Show is off to a blazing start, but now comes the big talk: Microsoft CEO Bill Gates sounds off with his annual take on the industry, and what his software giant will have to offer in the year ahead. Could we see a new, Vista-based mobile operating system? What about some touchscreen functionality expanded from the Surface? Stay tuned, because we'll be live with minute-by-minute news and analysis. --Glenn Derene

I'm here at CES in Las Vegas prepping to live blog Bill Gates' keynote speech. He's been kicking off the show for years, and usually draws big crowds. Tonight at the Venetian ballroom is no exception. Almost every seat is filled in this tremendous ballroom and people are still flowing in. If Gates is to be taken at his word from last year, this will be his final year giving the keynote speech here. It's been several years since he actively ran Microsoft—Steve Ballmer is now the CEO—and Gates has mentioned that he would like to dedicate his time completely to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Gates is a bizarre draw here. I've seen him talk several times; he is an awkward public speaker and he has long been reviled in the consumer electronics industry for Microsoft's strong-arm business practices. Yet in the computer world, he is about as big a celebrity as they come. Plus, due to the longtime dominance Microsoft has had of the computer industry, his comments on the state of consumer electronics are as much instructive as predictive. That may be changing of late, though. Despite Microsoft's market share, there are two huge trends gathering force that may shake the company's influence: First, the trend in the corporate world towards virtualization (essentially, server-based computing that allows computers on a network to work without an operating system) could move computing away from the personal computer paradigm and towards a "thin client" usage model. Second the influence of Apple's Macintosh OS X, and the newer, more usable variants of Linux, such as Ubuntu, are creating a more competitive marketplace for Microsoft Vista.

So what should we expect tonight? I'm actually not sure. There have been rumors of a new, slimmed down operating system for mobile devices—it would support Intel's new Menlow platform. And if Microsoft isn't working on such a thing, they should be. Vista is far too fat (15GB) to fit on portable, small-drive devices and Windows Mobile is terrible for entertainment and Web surfing duty—the two core uses of Menlow-style devices. What Microsoft needs is a slim, slick-looking operating system that can compete with Apple's multitouch interface on the iPhone. And they've already developed a pretty sophisticated touch interface in the Surface. It just makes sense to leverage that.

Also, I'm expecting some talk about how Microsoft could enable connected home and in-car electronics. The company scored a hit with the Sync system in Ford cars, and I think it only makes sense to see some aftermarket systems or even bolt-on devices, as well as voice-controlled devices for home automation.

Finally, I think Gates might talk about IPTV. Microsoft has been putting a lot of work into set-top boxes as well as television streaming to the Xbox 360. But both initiatives are in their infancy. Anyway, it looks like things are about to get started. So I'll be posting with updates momentarily.

For those who care about Bill's fashion sense…he's wearing a lot of purple today. Purple shirt, purple sweater.

Gates is getting sentimental. He's talking about stepping down mid-year. Says that it's the first time he will not be an employee of Microsoft since he was 17. They're showing a video with Brian Williams, John Stewart, Jay-Z, George Clooney, Stephen Spielberg, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Al Gore, and Bono (hey, isn't he supposed to be Apple's boy?). Pretty funny, actually…dare I say a touching farewell?

He's talking about future concepts. Data cloud computing, easy movement of media from one device to another, etc. Also, he's discussing pervasive computing concepts—extending the surface computing concept to walls, desks, etc. Gates is also talking about the trend in new interfaces, gesture recognition, voice control, etc. Showed a slick computer graphic of a handheld touchpanel. Why don't we have that? Wait, we do. It's called the iPhone.

They're demoing a very cool photo-stitching application on Windows Live. Select a few photos from one location and the software intelligently stitches them together. Also, they're showing photos posted to Live Space from a mobile phone. Hmmm...sounds like MySpace.

Gates is showing off the Surface now. A new interface I haven't seen before. A snowboard designing UI. Bill is being cautious, keynote demos have a way of going wrong for him. But it seems to work well.

Now an announcement about project Silverlight. There's going to be a partnership between Microsoft and NBC for full streaming of the Bejing Olympics.

One of Gate's henchmen (missed his name) is here to talk about connected devices. First up: Xbox 360. ABC and Disney are bringing TV shows to Xbox Live. Also, MGM is bringing its movie library to Xbox Live. Take that iTunes!

Next up is the Mediaroom interface for set-top boxes. Mediaroom does some pretty cool tricks: DVR anywhere (record programs in the cloud and watch them from any device); plus a slick interface for watching TV, wherein you can be your own director (watch a NASCAR race from the angles you're interested in). Also, a deal with British Telecom will let customers buy an Xbox through BT, and use it as a set-top box.

A new announcement in the mobile space. Microsoft's Tellme uses voice recognition as the interface to search for local content as well as commerce. They're showing how you could purchase movie tickets with your voice. Very cool.

Ugh! Now the henchman mentioned how they want to leverage mobile content to deliver advertising. I knew there had to be an evil side to it.

Bill's talking about stuff in the Microsoft Research lab. Bill's showing off a phone-based device that he's walking around with. Point it at people and it identifies them. Point it at buildings and it ID's them and shows you what's going on inside (and, of course, plays an ad). Also, there's some mapping functionality.

They're finishing off with bang. Bill's playing Guitar Hero against his henchman. And Bill's brought out a ringer: Slash from Guns N Roses. Slash rocks out for a sec, and then it's over folks.

Well, most of what I thought would be announced was, but no mobile Vista. Hmm. Looks like some mobile hardware manufacturers should start boning up on LInux programming.

A Part of Hearst Digital Media
Popular Mechanics participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites.